Aspiring leaders should use 3Rs plan for
opportunities

By Jane R. Elgass

We
all are leaders in one way or another, but many of us dont
think about it consciously. Thats what we should do if we
aspire to higher positions in our professional lives. We also must
always be ready to take advantage of an opportunity, in 24 hours if
necessary.

Sharing her perspective and experiences as a 27-year staff member
at the Universityone way of giving back to the
communityJean Watson Tennyson asked her audience to reflect on
similarities of beliefs and experiences as she encouraged them to
Believe in Your Dream last week.

Jackie R. McClain, executive director of Human
Resources/Affirmative Action, introduced Tennyson as a personal and
professional colleague who offers counsel, sage advice and comfort.
She spoke at the annual Women of Color Task Force Woman of the Year
awards ceremony.

Tennyson, who is director of Human Resources & Affirmative
Action at U-M-Dearborn, started her U-M career on the Ann Arbor
campus as a temporary employee in what is now Food and Nutrition
Services at the Medical Center, deciding at one point not to pursue
opportunities outside the U-M because she felt she hadnt
taken advantage of the opportunities at the University.

Over the years, she aggressively pursued her goals, which included
taking a four-year educational leave to get an undergraduate degree,
and taking lateral (and in some instances lower-ranked jobs) that
would add to her skills and experience. You wont always
get a promotion, she noted. You have to put a plan in
place for the risks you need to take [to reach your
goals].

That we are here today, Tennyson said, means we
acknowledge leadership positions to aspire to, adding that
working to achieve those aspirations means following
Jeans 3 Rs: resumé, risk and
relationships.

The first step is inventorying your life. Take pencil and
paper, write down your achievements and your goals, and then attach
action plans, she said. Be sure to include all the skills
acquired from past experiences, and assess your willingness to take
risks.

Your resumé should be kept up to date so you can respond
within 24 hours should an opportunity arise. And the resumé
should be accompanied by a cover letter. This is usually your
first introduction to a potential employer, she explained, and
should be top quality in both content and presentation.
Its not whether a cover letter is right or wrong, but
whether it is effective or ineffective, Tennyson noted.

One must be willing to take risks to move onward and upward.
Risk can only be a growth experience. It helps overcome fear of
failure, she said, noting that taking the leave to attend
college was a big risk for her at the time as the single parent of
three children, one of them chronically ill. When you try to
help yourself, things will happen for you, Tennyson said.

If you aspire to advancement, you also must surround
yourself with positive people and get rid of the excess
baggage, she said. Our relationships matter, but it is a
challenge to put them in the proper perspective. I had to work at
putting each of my relationships in perspective. Some werent
healthy for me.

We need to remember, Tennyson said, that each one of us can
make a difference. There is enough [work] to be done for all
of us to be successful, but you must plan for the
opportunities.